George Thatcher
George Thatcher (28 April 1752 – 22 February 1811) was an English-born military commander who served as general under James Carrington during his invasion of Brunant to his death in 1811. Biography Early life George Thatcher was born in Bristol, England as the fifth and last child of Catholic abolitionist Richard Thatcher (1719-1775) and his wife Elizabeth Bradford. In 1757, the family moved to York in northern England to avoid religious discrimination in southern England. At an early age, Thatcher learned how to use firearms due to his father being a hunting enthusiast. As such, he became infatuated with the military and was educated by multiple militiamen throughout his youth. At the age of eighteen in 1770, Thatcher migrated to Rotterdam in the Netherlands in order to join the army as during those times, Catholics were not allowed to join the army in Britain. For five years, he served as a musketman and did not serve in any major wars. Following the ratification of the Catholic Relief Act in 1778 which allowed Catholics to join the army, Thatcher moved back to England and settled in northern London. He then served in the American Revolutionary War as a lieutenant. After the war ended with the Treaty of Paris in September 1783, Thatcher and his regiment moved back to Britain. He decided to abandon the regiment weeks later and founded his own mercenary company comprised of around 400 men by 1784. Invasion of Brunant In early 1784, British nobleman James Carrington hired Thatcher's mercenary group to serve in his upcoming invasion of Brunant, and also appointed Thatcher himself as a brigadier general. Following Carrington's landing in Brunant near the town of Sint-Markstad, he served along with Marshal Owen Halsey MacLellan in the Battle of Donderstad. After they won a decisive victory, the regiment that served in the battle was split between Thatcher and MacLellan, and Thatcher's regiment participated in the three-day siege of Dortmund. The regiment later served in the Battle of Grijzestad, where Thatcher killed almost ten Royal Guardsmen alone. Postwar life After the war ended in a decisive victory for Carrington and his men, the new President of Brunant briefly appointed Thatcher as his first and only Minister of Defense from April 1785 to October 1786, when the position was relinquished after Carrington wanted to fully consolidate his position as the sole leader of the country. Thatcher then decided to finally settle down in Grijzestad and married Ambrosia Toorde in 1788. In 1793, Carrington decided to appoint Thatcher as General of the Royal Guard for life. After Carrington was assassinated in 1802, Thatcher declared him "a national hero, worthy of all praise". He became a representative in the House of Representatives, founded in 1802 by King Ambroos I. Failed coup Somewhere in late 1808, Thatcher began writing letters to President David James Carrington, the elder Carrington's son who had been president since 1802, but had been put under partial house arrest by the Congress. What started with an exchange of letters grew into conspiracy plans to dismiss King Ambroos I and dissolve the Congress. The conspiracy was led by Thatcher and Royal Guard Colonel Benjamin Bowyer, who also commanded during the 1784 invasion. Bowyer had found some allies among the senior officers in the Royal Guard, mostly former commanders during the 1784 invasion. Their plan was to march into the Koningsberg Palace, where the Congress met, arrest the king and the members of his cabinet. At the same time, they would take the Adriankastel south of the city, free Carrington from his house arrest, and dismiss pro-monarchist officers of the Royal Guard. In February 1809, however, the president's watchers intercepted a letter written by Thatcher to Carrington detailing the further elaboration of the plan. Among others, Thatcher and Bowyer were arrested, and Carrington was now put under strict house arrest Thatcher was removed from Congress and remained in prison until his death from pneumonia in 1811. Personal life In 1788, Thatcher married Brunanter native Ambrosia Toorde, and had three children with her: Edward, John and Catherine. Thatcher was a devout Catholic throughout his entire life and was an abolitionist. Category:1752 births Category:Dead people Category:Military personnel Category:Invasion of Brunant Category:Criminals